Commuting is time wasted – what would you rather be doing?

Commuting has been identified as one of the main causes of daily stress with lengthy journeys of over 45 minutes associated with poor sleep quality, exhaustion and bad health, according to a recent study by BMC Public Health. It also reportedly takes its toll on relationships, with a higher likelihood of separation among commuters that regularly face a long journey to work. To discover how workers would employ their time if they were able to cut down on their commute – and work more flexibly – Regus commissioned a survey canvassing the opinions of over 16,000 professionals across more than 80 countries.

Respondents were given a choice of preferred activities, from spending more time with their partner and family, to spending more time working – which surprisingly an overall majority (54%) would choose to do. But it’s only when you dig into the country specific variations that the results become so intriguing. For example, the priority for Japanese and Canadian workers is to get fitter and exercise more, while Indians and French would choose to spend this additional time with their partners and family.

The Japanese are the least inclined to commit this time to charitable work, with only 36% preferring that option, as opposed to 70% of Indian workers.

Indian workers are also the most diligent, with only 40% opting to spend the extra time in bed, and 72% preferring to spend the extra time at their desks.

Not the French though: 70% of their respondents would happily reset the alarm clock and carry on snoozing if commuting became a thing of the past.

What would you do with the extra time if you could eradicate the daily commute?